Use Store Windows to Build Sales

A traditional English proverb, perhaps based on a biblical quote, reads, “The eyes are the window of the soul.” Consumer psychologists might reply, “The store windows are the mirror of the retailer’s mind.” If your store space includes exterior display windows, take heed of their influence on the shopper.

• Know your audience. Window displays designed for drive-by viewers need to be larger and bolder than those designed for walk-by traffic. 
• For walk-by traffic, tall and slender conveys luxury. Research findings from University of Twente, Plymouth University, and Ecolab indicate this rule applies to mannequins and signage in the window display. 
• Featuring merchandise in a store window primes the shopper to consider those items of merchandise as having special appeal when the shopper subsequently sees them in the store. This effect operates on the same psychological principle as does a celebrity endorsement. 
• Displays that portray the product or service being used trigger imagination of usage by those looking at the window, and imagining usage builds purchase likelihood. This is most effective when the consumers viewing the window display consider the usage portrayed to be by someone the consumers think of as similar to them or someone they want to become. 
• Consumers seek shortcuts when making shopping decisions. This fact is of benefit to retailers as well as to shoppers. Window displays can qualify prospects by showing the types of merchandise you carry and the price level. If your store carries a good-better-best range, shoppers will appreciate indications in the display of where in the store to find the price-quality category of items they’re seeking. Including representative items from the range tells the shopper you’re not limited. 
• Changes stimulate interest. Because it’s easier to reconfigure a window display than to remerchandise the shopping area, changing window displays regularly is a cost-effective way to give consumers the novelty they like and convince them you’re not in a rut. 
• You also want to convince the consumers to pay attention to store cleanliness. Keep those window displays tidy. You and your staff are likely to be spending more time looking at the body of the store than at the windows. When your windows fulfill their full potential, the shoppers will be introduced to the body when viewing those mirrors into your mind. 

     And if your store does not include exterior display windows, adapt these tips for displays inside your shopping areas.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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Mind Your Windows